


Let Our Words Be...

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Adrenaline, Alphabet Meme, Alternate Universe - Twins, Ancient History, Arguing, Banter, Bigotry & Prejudice, Biological Weapons, Birthday, Canonical Character Death, Car Accidents, Christmas Party, Drinking & Talking, Equalist, Flying, Grief/Mourning, Growing Old Together, Grumpy Old Men, Hiding, Homesickness, Identity Issues, Injury Recovery, Introspection, Making Up, Manipulative Relationship, Medical Procedures, Multi, Nightmares, No Promises No Lies, Nostalgia, Oaths & Vows, One Word Prompt Meme, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Dynamics, Road Trips, Self Confidence Issues, Sirens, Spare Parts, Teasing, bias, flattery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:03:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2779220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were simply words, twenty-six random words that shouldn't have but <em>did<em> have meaning to Optimus and his oldest friend.</em></em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Our Words Be...

**_A_ ** _nchor: something that or somebody who provides stability_

Ratchet thanked Primus fervently for the faithfulness of his closest friend. Today Optimus had added to the unsaid, countless tally of times he’d shied away from the edge of death for him and the rest of the team. He had recovered as scheduled, allowing his team to vent their relief with a familiar smile of exhaustion but reassurance. If anything ever cost them those smiles, Ratchet feared what he already knew: _he_ would never recover.

 

 **_B_ ** _ias: a preference or influence over another_

None of the others ever seemed to resent his obvious care for anything that concerned Ratchet, at least not to Optimus’ face. They surely contributed it to years and years of closeness, of fighting and laughing and crying, and they were right to think that because it was the truth. But when Megatron noticed and began making jabs about it to the both of them, Optimus almost began to resent himself for it.

 

 **_C_ ** _ompetent: skilled or able to do something well_

Medicine was all Ratchet could do, the only thing that could keep him from feeling utterly useless. He longed for Cybertron’s restoration and poured everything he had into the team; anything he could do to help and heal them was a step closer to their goal. In the tiniest corner of his spark, however, Ratchet wondered if it would mean anything to their descendants. Would anyone remember the overtaxed field medic who could do nothing but be just that?

 

 **_D_ ** _istemper: a mental or physical disparity or to cause one_

Optimus suddenly had the sensation of being stifled, despite the emptiness of the base. He opened his vents, trying to cool the grief and rage cycling unfiltered through him. The Matrix did nothing to help; it seemed to flatten him, flatten his emotions in anything but battle. He regretted how quickly he had denied the children’s invitations to laugh and enjoy their company and he feared the day he lost what remained of Orion Pax’s emotion and became no more than Prime.

 

 **_E_ ** _quipollence: to be equal to another_

Inequality could be found anywhere, Ratchet discovered. The other Autobots had been indisposed with a mission and he had been instructed to pick up the children from their school. As the humans had started to pour from the building, Ratchet had seen a tall boy with copper-red hair shove a girl out of his way. Her study books had spilled all over the wet grass and she had dropped down, frantically gathering them up. Left picking up the pieces…

 

 **_F_ ** _latter: to compliment or appeal to another’s vanity_

Optimus knew how much his opinion mattered to Ratchet. It was pathetic how Ratchet wilted when Optimus had to rebuke him. Sometimes he thought he could see the medic’s spark cringe in its chamber. Ratchet would retreat tamely into a niche somewhere. Optimus would coax him out and promise not to be so harsh next time, though Ratchet always dismissed it, convinced that he’d needed the cut-down. That would leave Optimus’ own spark sinking and he’d try to flatter his friend, hoping he meant the compliments as much as he’d meant the admonition.

 

 **_G_ ** _ive: to deliver a possession to another_

Ratchet sometimes felt like the others were taking advantage of him. Granted, his _duty_ was to give them himself—his time, mind and hands belonged to them and their welfare. Then there were the times when he felt as though he were selling his soul if he gave in to another plea for help. He once asked Miko about a book she was reading and she began to explain that it was about a girl who was under a curse and had to follow literally any order given to her. Ratchet had felt his spark go utterly still, followed by an overwhelming sense of loss. He’d made to leave the room, but the computer had alerted him to Arcee’s internal distress signal, jerking him back like a leash.

 

 **_H_ ** _istory: past events or personal background_

Optimus knew Cybertron’s history as well as he knew the names of his team. His time spent as a librarian in Iacon attributed to this, but even if he hadn’t been hired Optimus had a feeling he would have continued to study the timeline of their people. It had seemed like the most important mission of his life back on Cybertron—sifting through the legacy of those who had been left behind in age or battles. Only this was how he knew what an immense honor he’d been given to be made Prime. Now it almost didn’t seem to matter, for they were on a different planet in a different universe. Thus he relished the chances to explain their history to the humans; it was a beloved piece of a lost home.

 

 **_I_ ** _nobservance: lack of attention or failure to comply with something_

“Do no harm.” Ratchet laughed scornfully when Nurse Darby recited this phrase to him. War changed everything, including the oaths of a medic, he told her sharply, but she didn’t seem to understand. Of course she didn’t. How can you know what you _don’t_? Even so, that argument had brought back memories of the first Decepticon he’d killed. He remembered the young face—filled with hatred for Ratchet and everyone like him—so clearly, as well as the justifications he’d carefully engraved into his processor core. He was _evil_. He had to be _stopped_. He would have _killed_ others. Do no harm—how hypocritical.

 

 **_J_ ** _ovialness: cheer in mood or disposition_

Optimus had expected argument from Ratchet when he’d announced they’d be staying in the base for the children’s Christmas celebration; either that or he would lock himself in the lab, technically staying “in the base” but not participating. Instead he found his friend handing out energon cubes and playfully refuting Raphael’s opinion that eggnog was better. He even endured one of Miko’s impromptu concerts, though Optimus could see by the medic’s grimace that his distaste for the noise hadn’t lessened. It was the only frown Optimus saw on him all day.

 

 **_K_ ** _nife: a weapon used for cutting or slicing_

When Ratchet’s hands transformed into surgical blades, it gave him a sense of power that he didn’t normally experience. Surprisingly enough, hands were the most tender, most vulnerable point on a medic and had proved to be the fatal weak point of past medics. Some of Ratchet’s worst days were the ones where his hands were idle. For a while he wouldn’t notice, but when he did he would panic, transforming them back and forth over and over, trying to bring sensation back to his circuits.

 

 **_L_ ** _ie: to deliberately say something untrue_

Optimus could count on one hand how many times he had lied to Ratchet and he could count on that same hand how many times Ratchet had caught him. The truth was the one area of their relationship that had stayed rocky. They were very close and that was a disadvantage in the aspect of a secret strategy or a nearly nonexistent bedside manner. Ratchet had a few tells Optimus noticed: a slight shift of the hips or an expression that held _only_ anger. Yet Ratchet never revealed Optimus’ tells and that worried Optimus. It should be good that the one who knew his vulnerabilities was one he could trust with them, but if the Decepticons got their hands on him…Medics were the worst of patients.

 

 **_M_ ** _ighty: strong and powerful_

It wasn’t often that Ratchet went out into the field of battle, but when he did he couldn’t help but be amazed at how strong the team was together—or even apart. Each of them had different strengths, to be sure, but their efforts all came together to create a force that frankly shocked him. He would remember that it was just the five of them against the vast army of the Decepticons and he’d shudder, thinking of his best friend at the front, facing the Decepticon master himself. If there was any time Ratchet _hoped_ to be in the field with Optimus, it would be when he ended Megatron.

 

 **_N_ ** _ight: the daily period of darkness_

Cybertronian nightmares were laced with static and pain. Optimus found himself bolting upright, disoriented by the streaks of lubricant wetting his face. How long had he been unconsciously crying for lost comrades? He suspected it had been a long time, but then he was distracted by whimpers from next-door. That would lead to screaming. Venting erratically, Optimus waited until Ratchet woke himself, realized that Optimus was awake too and arrived to talk, latching onto the comforting light of his optics in the dark.

 

 **_O_ ** _ptative: expressing wish or desire_

Optimus alone had been there when Ratchet had become violently ill. He still was; he’d hidden it from the others for ages now, but in his private moments he doubled over with his hands clawing at his chest, wishing he could rip his spark out to rid himself of the agony. It was maddening, being a medic unable to tend to his wound. Worse, Ratchet watched his sickness infecting the others and it added to the pain. Of all the diseases in the universe, Ratchet knew none better—and none worse—than homesickness.

 

 **_P_ ** _rejudiced: irrational hatred, fear, or mistrust of something or somebody_

Optimus was unsure if he would ever understand the human race and their wariness of other races. Those back on Cybertron before the war had been welcoming to any visitors. Humans couldn’t seem to cope with the prospect of other life as anything but pets. The children were more or less accepting, perhaps for their innocence, but Optimus memorized what he would say if anyone else questioned their intentions: “We simply search for a home as you do.” It was true enough. If someone didn’t accept that, if his people were threatened, Optimus reluctantly decided how persuasive he would be.

 

 **_Q_ ** _uintessence: the purest or most perfect example of something_

Ratchet wondered if anyone saw through the image of Optimus as a grand Prime. None of the others knew him like Ratchet, but after all this time he could still see glimpses of Orion Pax—usually it was fear that flew through Optimus’ gaze until it seeped into cracks and he was a Prime again. Ratchet tried to be there when the fear came, tried to prod it gently and get it to lean for his touch. He told himself it wasn’t real, but he still had a bit of sparkache for the flawed mech he’d lost in favor of this icon of wisdom. But those moments of fear were few and far and after many long years he grasped that Optimus Prime had nudged Orion Pax out of his prized place as “best friend”.

 

 **_R_ ** _espect: an air of admiration or deference toward something or somebody_

Optimus knew how much respect the title of Prime required from his team. _Accept the wisdom of Prime, agree with Prime, defer to Prime_. The relocation to Earth had slackened the rules just slightly, but Optimus wasn’t sure he minded. The title of Prime had been a part of the caste system dilemma. Now his people were offering their own opinions, refusing orders when they had to, deciding what was best for themselves. In one way, Optimus feared it would end up being every Bot for themselves. In the other, he was almost glad he was the last of the Primes.

 

 **_S_ ** _huffle: to move awkwardly_

When Optimus swung his legs over the edge of the med berth, Ratchet stood in the shadows and didn’t stop him. Surely Prime knew rising was foolish, but he had lost much of his pride these past days, only standing when Ratchet was there to help. Optimus hadn’t walked the length of the medical bay since he’d dragged himself there. As Prime swayed, Ratchet resisted the urge to leap forward and catch him. Optimus caved in, his freshly repaired legs dented, scratched, and twisted together underneath him, telling him why Ratchet had ordered him to baby steps. Only when that insight pooled with the pain on Optimus’ face did Ratchet reveal himself and extend an expectant hand.

 

 **_T_ ** _oot: a high-pitched hooting sound such as from a vehicle’s horn_

A bit of teasing wouldn’t hurt the drive, Optimus decided, speeding up slightly so his front bumper brushed Ratchet’s aft bumper. When Ratchet only sped up, Optimus honked five times, bringing it to a more obnoxious pitch each time. Ratchet knew exactly what he was trying to accomplish and honked back in irritation. Optimus chuckled softly, enjoying this moment of freedom to be un-Primely. He honked once more and laughed through a revving engine, but Ratchet still managed to speak over him, bringing all his sirens to their flashing, wailing life and making Optimus just a tad jealous.

 

 **_U_ ** _nison: in agreement or harmony or at the same time_

There had been times that the rest of the team suspected Ratchet and Optimus were fraternal spark-split twins separated at birth. When Ratchet had asked them about it, they said that Ratchet and Prime agreed on almost everything, were almost (or could be) the same age, and sometimes eerily finished each other’s sentences. Ratchet scoffed—he and Optimus had a bond, but it wasn’t a twin bond; they couldn’t read each other’s minds! At that moment Optimus stepped on and cracked one of their energon filters. “Optimus!” Ratchet complained, but Optimus was expecting it; in perfect unison they proclaimed, “ _We needed that_.” Ratchet froze and Bulkhead told him they rested their case.

 

 **_V_ ** _essel: a container for something_

Optimus wondered what would happen if he ever had any need to bequeath the Matrix of Leadership. It would be a difficult choice, certainly, and would leave some members of the team feeling betrayed or dismissed. Of course he wouldn’t have time to consider feelings if he were to be dying, Optimus reminded himself, but in this moment emotions were just as real a factor in his musings as the blue light shining in his spark. Perhaps it was one of those choices that would have to be made in the spur of the moment, without long contemplations or weighing of attributes. That made him uneasy; what if someone else had made the journey to Primus? Had he become Prime by mere chance?

 

 **_W_ ** _hirl: to turn or spin rapidly_

Ratchet found it unnatural for a grounder to dream of flying, but the idea flitted through his processor every few years. It was an intriguing proposal—the freedom to own the sky, letting the clouds hit your face and the wind tilt your wings until you were giddy for twirling so often. He found himself alone at the base; not even Optimus was there to keep him company, so he went for a drive in the rain, pushing himself to go to top speed, trying to create the illusion of flight. His tire hit a rock, he skidded out three times on the slippery asphalt and then crashed. The rain cleaned off his wounds but not his adrenaline.

 

 **_X_ ** _enophya: parts of a shell or skeleton formed by foreign bodies_

Optimus had seen Ratchet perform miracles with the remains of former comrades. Back on Cybertron Ratchet had rummaged through parts that had remained intact after the spark had flickered out. Afterward he had locked himself in the surgical room with the piece, tinkering with it even as tears polished his optic lenses, making sure the part was as perfect as possible. Optimus pondered if this was his tribute to the former owner before it was given to another. Here on earth there was none of that. He would dismantle _himself_ unemotionally if it meant the survival of the others, just as Optimus would. He hated that someone so unlike a Prime could be forced to make the sacrifices of a Prime.

 

 **_Y_ ** _ear: a particular period or a long time in general_

They never spoke about it, but Ratchet would always catch Optimus’ optics when it was a creation day. Optimus would give him a secret, sheepish smile that held a hidden warning. Ratchet cursed under his breath. Why on earth wouldn’t the Prime want the others to know the day of his birth? He asked every year as they sat on Cliffjumper’s ledge, sharing a container of high-grade energon. Optimus replied that he wanted it to be simple, just between them. Ratchet reminded the Prime that Cliffjumper could be eavesdropping, but Optimus knew he would never tell a soul.

 

 **_Z_ ** _ephyr: a delicate, warm breeze_

Standing on top of the base, Optimus shuttered his optics and tilted his helm back slightly, letting the desert wind reach into the crevices of his armor. At the moment he couldn’t think of any place he’d rather be; the open world seemed to take a bit of the age-long burden off his shoulders. He was growing older, he realized suddenly. Of course by the humans’ standards he ought to have been long, long dead, but in Cybertronian standards he was now an elder. Ratchet would be an elder soon also… _Primus_ , the Prime reached out to their creator, _if we are to join the Well of Allsparks any time soon, let us meet in an open place._


End file.
